One step away from the Notre-Dame Basilica in Old Montreal, the Paparmane tea room offers its colorful version of English tea time in a gourmet and festive spirit.
Paparmane offers a charming and whimsical afternoon tea experience in Montreal that consistently impresses guests with its beautifully decorated, cozy atmosphere and high level of hospitality. Visitors frequently highlight the personalized and attentive service, as well as the delicious, seasonal selection of sweet and savory treats that are artfully presented. While the experience is often compared favorably to other renowned tea venues, many guests appreciate the unique attention to detail, ranging from kid-friendly accommodations to successful handling of various dietary restrictions. Although some visitors noted that the reservation system can occasionally be complex or that seating can feel close, the majority of patrons leave feeling pampered and eager to return for future seasonal menus and special occasions.
I just wanted to express our appreciation for the service we received yesterday at Paparmane for the birthday of my daughter.
The tea sets & teas were delicious. We especially loved the earl grey scones, the cucumber & yuzu sandwiches, & the sweet potato latkes. The quantity was good & we were not left wanting. Halfway through, our server brought out a whimsical musical box with a sweet surprise inside. It was totally unexpected & fully appreciated.
The only thing I would have preferred is for the tables to be more widely spaced apart. It was a little difficult to not have to listen to conversations of others sitting less than an arm's length away, & we weren't able to capture a nice photo of the moment at our table with the space constraints.
there's something about afternoon tea that makes an ordinary afternoon feel just a little more special. while visiting montreal, i made reservations for a party of three at paparmane, a whimsical afternoon tea spot near old montreal that had been on my list.
we arrived a little early & spent some time at the tiny shop in the front, browsing the pretty teaware, cute gifts & smelling the loose leaf while waiting for our table. the space is quite small, so you do have to be mindful of other guests while looking around.
our table was ready about 12 minutes later. one small moment caught me off guard when a party of five who arrived after us was seated first & welcomed as vip guests. maybe they were celebrating something special, not gonna lie, i felt a little like chopped liver for a minute. i laughed it off & didn't let it affect the afternoon.
once inside, it was easy to see why paparmane is so popular. the dining room is enchanting, with blush pink walls, exposed brick, oversized flowers hanging from chandeliers, & an enchanted forest mural that gives the space a whimsical alice in wonderland feel. it stayed busy throughout our visit, yet never felt rushed.
having enjoyed many afternoon teas around vancouver, i appreciated how much thought went into both the atmosphere & presentation. it's elegant, playful, & incredibly photogenic without feeling overdone.
each of us received our own teapot with loose leaf tea in a sachet, along with a timer for steeping. oat milk was available as an alternative to milk, which was a nice touch. our server checked in once to offer more hot water for another steep, although we could have used a little more cream for the table.
when the three tier stands arrived, our server explained each item & offered to take photos for us, something we noticed was offered to every table. it was such a thoughtful touch, & honestly, the excitement level was high enough that the towers almost deserved a polite golf clap.
the food showed a lot of care & attention to detail. from the delicate pastries to the paper-thin cucumber sandwiches, everything looked thoughtfully prepared. i could almost imagine the chef carefully placing the finishing touches with tweezers. we loved the balance of sweet & savoury items, with a nice variety of flavours & textures.
the two miniature scones came with a delicious strawberry rosemary jam & sweet clover mascarpone cream. both were excellent, although i do wish the scones had been served warm. i also think an eclectic mix of mismatched vintage fine china would have perfectly matched the whimsical atmosphere, although i understand the practicality of using glassware.
one of my friends chose the vegan afternoon tea after seeing the neighbouring table's selection & absolutely loved it. we were pleasantly surprised to see a vegan option that was just as thoughtful & beautifully presented as the traditional offering.
despite the petite presentation, the afternoon tea was surprisingly substantial. we each managed only one of our two miniature scones before happily packing up the rest to enjoy later.
service was attentive & professional, although it felt more polished than personal. everything was handled efficiently, but it was missing that extra bit of warmth that takes good hospitality to the next level.
overall, paparmane is a lovely spot for a special occasion, a girls' afternoon out, or anyone who enjoys a little bit of whimsy with their tea. between the magical setting, beautiful presentation, quality teas, & thoughtful details, it was a memorable afternoon.
my only wishes would be warm scones, a little more cream for the tea, & perhaps a touch more warmth from the service. small details aside, it was a wonderful afternoon spent catching up with friends over tea, pastries, & plenty of laughter.
A beautiful space, comfortable, with a warm & welcoming staff. The food was excellent. Beautifully prepared & presented! Most surprising to me that everything seemed made à la minute, nothing tasted as if it had been sitting around for hours. It was very good value, even at $55 per person, as we had plenty to eat, & a wide variety of savoury & sweet items. We are already planning our return. BRAVO!
Jun 18, 2026
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I recently went to Paparmane for a delicious Friday afternoon tea…
We were taken care of by Kevin, who was soo sweet, & Mila, who brought the best energy… fun, artistic, & just genuinely warm. It made the whole experience feel personal.
For tea, we ordered the Passionably Green Tea & the Mayan Chocolate… both really comforting in their own way, depending on your mood.
The bites came out in gorgeous towers, as part of their'temps des sucres' tea… a little love letter to Québec, but dressed up for tea time.
My favorites:
* Truffle & maple egg mousse sandwich… creamy, rich, slightly sweet
* Salmon tartare… fresh & light, a nice contrast to everything else
* The scones… so buttery & flaky, with great jam & whipped butter to top them
* The Mayan chocolate caramel dessert… deep, rich caramel & chocolate flavor
* & the pouding chômeur… nostalgic flavors with a twist, honestly one of my favorite bites of the whole afternoon
It's the kind of place you go when you're not in a rush… you sit, sip your tea, talk about everything & nothing… & suddenly the afternoon disappears.
Cute little gem in Montreal 🩷 We had tea here during sugar shack season, & it was excellent. There were many options for various teas, with each person getting their own pot. The menu was curated, included savory & sweet options, & was surprisingly filling. The maple sweets were of course a must-have if visiting during sugaring off time.
The staff were friendly, & spoke both English & French.
Great food, great atmosphere & place. The adults menu was amazing. The kids menu was definitely for very young kids & overly sweet, but still I would definitely recommend. The staff is amazing too
Great service! The hostess & server were welcoming & accommodating. The ambiance was so elegant & beautiful. Loved the Christmas-themed decorations 🎄The winter delights classic contained bouchées of saltiness & sweetness.
Starting from the bottom layer (salty), there were the sandwiches & canapés. I really enjoyed the black truffle trompe-l'oeil with pearl onion. The middle layer had sweet & salty scones with a homemade jam (tasted very cinnamon-y) & a light (slightly salty) tasty cream. I found the earl grey white chocolate scone to be too sweet. The top level served a variety of sweet treats. For the choice of tea, there were so many to choose from. I wanted to try so many of them, but I ended opting for The Great Wisdom (white tea with light notes of baked almond). It had a faint flavor with a slight almond aftertaste, I enjoyed it very much! 🍵 I also thought how they served the tea (with the hourglass ) really cute ?.
Great choice of petit fours for the Christmas tea time! Friendly service & cute interior.
Although i personally think the tea choices were limited. Plenty of sweet notes choices in the tea but if you love sweet notes on tea it is perfect for you.
the tea, service, & interior were all really lovely
we had the winter delights menu that had tasty things, but unfortunately the red velvet cake was really dry, the mascarpone was a bit bland, & all the sweets were a bit too sweet. The scones were the best part but the size (especially considering what you're paying) were really disappointing. The jam was amazing too but there's not enough offered to use it on :/ Ultimately i left feeling it wasn't worth the price
Was looking forward to trying this but the food was sooooo disappointing.
Dry scones, synthetic sweet desserts, & the savory items on the bottom of the tower were just not good.
